If only I'd known then what I know now…

I must be on a roll! I’ve managed to write several posts lately, so perhaps my “blogging mojo” is returning. Only time will tell. In the meantime, it’s time to join our hostess, Joyce, and friends for a little Hodgepodge fun!

1. In the USA this coming Sunday millions will be watching as the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49’s in the Superbowl. What was the last event you attended that could be described as super?

The last “sports event” I attended was back in the late 90’s when we attended our last Atlanta Braves baseball game.

2. Share something you’re a fan of these days?

I look forward to Wednesday nights because I’ve become a fan of the television show, “Nashville”. The show has a very interesting story line concerning different singers, song writers, and musicians who are trying to become (or stay) successful in Nashville, with a little politics thrown in for good measure! The cast of the show actually performs their own songs, and they are quite talented! A collection of songs from the first few episodes is already available for purchase through iTunes.

3. How do you feel about wings? In case anyone is confused, I’m talking the edible appetizer kind. What’s your preferred seasoning on a wing-hot, mild, teryiaki, sweet and sour, other? Do you make your own or is there a favorite place you like to go for wings?

I love wings, especially fried or bar-b-que (my bad!) Of course, I’ll eat hot wings, too, but I prefer them to be on the mild side.

4. As long as we’re talking sports today…have you followed the Lance Armstrong story? Did you watch his interview with Oprah and if so what was your reaction to his confession and subsequent remarks?

I’ve heard some of the Lance Armstrong story, but haven’t really followed it. What a disappointment he turned out to be! I only saw a small portion of Oprah’s interview with him, but what little I saw didn’t really help my opinion of the man. What stuck out in my mind was the way he bullied his accusers, and all the while he was guilty!

5. What’s a question you hate to be asked?

One that I don’t know the answer to!

6. The coaches in this Sunday’s big game happen to be real life brothers. Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49er’s and his older brother John Harbaugh coaches the Baltimore Ravens. Were you and your sibling(s) competitive? In what way? Are you still? If you’re an only child how did you handle competition growing up?

No, I don’t think my brother and I were ever what I’d call competitive. He’s nine years older than I am, so we had a bit of an age gap to overcome, especially during my teen years. I would get very upset when he tried to give our parents any advice concerning me. It made me a little resentful. After I married Ed, the age gap seemed to disappear, and we became close with my brother and his wife. We’ve had a lot of great times together, and still do, whenever we have the chance.

7. What’s your favorite game involving a ball and when did you last play?

I don’t really care for sports, but I used to enjoy watching our oldest son play basketball in high school. The last time I remember playing any kind of ball was w-a-y back in the seventh or eighth grade–when I hadto for PE class!

Random:

Would you believe I ordered a metal detector for Ed on Saturday night, and it arrived around lunchtime on Monday? I didn’t pay for overnight shipping either! In fact, the package was shipped via the postal service! That’s simply amazing!

I decided to go ahead and give the meal detector to Ed, instead of making him wait until Valentine’s Day. He’s only had time to search for an hour or so, but he still hasn’t located his missing pocket knife!

If you are a long-time reader here, you know that I have more than an abundance of pets! That’s because have a soft spot in my heart for most animals. Back in 2004, I tried to rescue all of the homeless animals at the local animal shelter–and then some! At one point, we owned 21 cats, 5 dogs, 2 rabbits, a hamster, and a parakeet! Our pet food bills were quite shocking in those days, and Ed was just about ready to jump ship.

Fast-forward nearly nine years later, and here we are–aging folks, left with aging pets! Ed and I have already said “good-bye” to several of “our dependents” over the past several years. These days we’re left with only 13 cats, 2 dogs, a parakeet and 6 chickens. I’m not sure of the age of “Tweety”, our parakeet, since he, too, is a “rescue”, but I’ve had him for over 8 years. He has to be living on borrowed time.

Several of our pets were older when I adopted them, so some passed away after a relatively short time. Some of our younger pets developed illnesses which cut their lives short, as well. Such is the life of a pet owner. Throughout the years, the area surrounding our home has become a virtual pet cemetery, with an assortment of occupants.

No matter how many pets we lose, it never gets any easier. After the initial shock of losing a pet has worn off, I always try to concentrate on all of the good days we had together, and the joy we brought each other. However, this doesn’t help to fill the empty void that losing a pet creates–even when many are still left!

Honey Bun

A while back, I wrote about our struggles with our pet rabbit, Honey Bun. Honey Bun had been with me for over eight years. I’m not sure how old he was when I got him, but he was already big.

Near the end, Honey Bun eventually became paralyzed in his hind legs, and remained that way until his death, about 2 months later. We did the best we could by Honey Bun, but we were relieved (for him) when he took his last breath–the day before Ed’s 63rd birthday. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss that old brown rabbit, especially when I visit the carrot patch!

Eugene’s the gray cat, who’s looking at the camera

We lost one of our cats, named Eugene, to cancer, last year, too. Eugene struggled with eating for a long time because the growth affected his throat. We tried to make sure he had some soft food to eat, and let nature take its course.

In his final days, Eugene found a hiding place so he could be alone, but Ed found him, and took food to him. Then Eugene found another hiding place, which Ed wasn’t able to find. We assumed he’d gone off and died, as cats often do.

For several days Ed worried about Eugene, and said he just wanted to be able to give him a “proper burial”. Then, one day I went out to the cat cafe'( a structure Ed built to feed the cats on), and lo and behold, there lay Eugene, dead, underneath it. He was nestled among some junk that had been stored there. (Eugene had been dead for a day or two, which is how I managed to spot him.) Eugene had come home to die, and in doing so, granted Ed his wish to give him a “proper burial”.

Ethan (in younger years)

2013 isn’t looking so good for our old hound dog, Ethan. He was one of a litter of 10 puppies that were dropped off at the shelter, along with their mother. Each puppy was named after a cast member of the reality show “Survivor”, hence the name “Ethan”.

Ethan is about to celebrate his ninth birthday, but he suffers from a variety of issues, and is not in good health. We’re not positive, but we suspect he, too, may be a victim of some kind of cancer. A couple of weeks ago, Ethan was really sick, and I just knew the end was near for Ethan. After a day or two, he rallied and is still with us.

These days, Ethan spends most of his time basking in the sunshine on cooler days, or resting in the shade on the warmer days. Ethan LOVES to eat, and for the moment, his appetite is still good. He knows exactly what time supper is supposed to be served, and he will loudly remind us if we run late! Ethan is a bit lazy, and has always laid down to eat his food. The day Ethan starts refusing to eat, we’ll go ahead and get the shovel ready. It will take quite a hole to accommodate that dog!

Shakespeare once wrote, “Parting is such sweet sorrow…”, but, in my opinion, there is nothing “sweet” about parting through death. It’s the unfortunate downside of loving something– or someone. Saying goodbye is always so darn hard!

I started to entitle this post “And the Green Grass Grew All Around and Around” because that’s what’s happening around here! I can’t remember another January as mild as this one has been. Ed actually had to mow our grass a couple of weeks ago! Many of our trees are trying to bud out, and the pine trees are already shedding their pollen. Very strange, indeed. What’s left for spring?

These mild days make me want to plant something–so I did! I’ve already planted 28 cabbage seeds, and about 20 tomato seeds in little trays. Most have sprouted, and are already an inch tall! I put the plants outside when the weather is warm, then bring them inside at night. I’ll be able to transplant the cabbage plants in about a month or so. Of course, I’ll have to wait a bit longer on the tomatoes.

While shopping, Ed and I bought an apple tree and a blueberry bush this weekend. We lost two of last year’s new additions, so we had to replace them. Everything else seems to be doing fine– the remaining apple tree, the remaining blueberry bush, 3 plum trees, 2 peach trees, and a grape-vine are all happily growing in a row beside our garden area.

We still have mustard greens growing in the garden, as well as a few carrots left from our fall crop. I planted the carrots for “Honey Bun”, our pet rabbit, but he died back in November. The carrots and mustard greens have made good food for our chickens, as well as for us. The girls look forward to their treats each day!

In my last post, Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers, I was debating what to get Ed for Valentine’s Day–a new pocket knife or a metal detector so he could search for his old, lost knife. Thanks to your suggestions, I decided to go with the metal detector. Even if Ed isn’t able to find his knife, he’ll have a good time trying! Of course, the search may be a tad more complicated now that the top soil of the field (where Ed believes he lost his knife) got turned under this weekend… Ed didn’t know I was planning to buy him a metal detector, so he and our son-in-law did a little land prepping! Oh well…

Now it’s time to get on with the Monday business at hand, and join Heather and her hubby, Wayne, for the “Monday Quiz”. Here are the questions along with my answers:

1. On along road trip do you prefer to be the driver or a passenger? Or do you prefer to travel a different way all together?

I rarely drive when Ed’s in the car with me. It just feels unnatural for me to be the driver, probably because I didn’t even get a driver’s license until eight years after we were married! I’m quite happy being a passenger though, no matter who is driving! I don’t really like traveling on a long trip–or a short one either, for that matter. I like to make frequent stops, so it takes us forever to get reach our destination.

2. Do you use a slow cooker? Favorite thing to make?

Yes, I occasionally use a slow cooker.

My favorite thing to make in a slow cooker is Pulled Bar-b-que Pork. Put in a whole boston butt,( salted and peppered) a few slices of onion, and a bottle of bar-b-que sauce on top of it, and cook it on high for about 7 to 8 hours. Remove from the pot, and shred with a fork. It’s delicious!3. Which type of festival would you rather go to… Wine and Food, Music or Sports?

A music festival, of course. I love all kinds of music.4. What is your favorite fallacy?

That children will grow up to be exactly like their parents.

My question for you:

5. Who taught you how to drive?

My husband, Ed, taught me how. I was a third generation “non-driver” up until that point. Looking back, I can hardly believe it! I’ve driven many miles since those days.

My husband, Ed, is forever losing things. He’s always losing a pocket knife, and quite often he’ll lose parts off of his tractor while working in the garden area. He’s been known to lose clips, bolts, and even one of his tractor chains in the field!

Once Ed loses something, he becomes a bit obsessed with trying to find the lost object. Sometimes he’ll even enlist the help of our daughter who lives next door. She loves to look for missing objects, and is usually pretty good at it! Sometimes they get lucky and find the lost item, and sometimes not…

Ed has a nice variety of pocket knives that he’s received as gifts over the years. However, he won’t carry any of those knives in his pocket, out of fear of losing one. Once he carried a small pocket knife, given to him by our son, Brad, and he lost it. Ed was so disturbed by losing the knife, he decided he’d rather buy an inexpensive knife to carry in his pocket, rather than chance losing a special one again.

After losing, or wearing out, several cheap pocket knives, Ed finally began using an old “Case” knife that he’d had for years. I’m not sure where it came from or how long he’d had it.

Since the knife was old, something on it eventually broke. Since Case offers a lifetime warranty on their knives (to repair or replace), Ed got the idea to package the knife up and send it to the company. He was as thrilled as a child when the company sent him a brand new knife as a replacement! He’d been carrying it with him every since.

Several months went by, and eventually the inevitable happened again– Ed discovered he’d lost his pocket knife. The last place he remembered having it was outside, on the tractor. He was sure he must have lost the knife while cutting the garden area with his tractor.

Now, our garden area is pretty large, and at the moment it’s grown up with some weeds and old plants from our fall garden. None-the-less, Ed wasn’t going to give up his beloved knife without a fight, so he started searching! Several of us helped him walk the area, but searching for a black knife among dirt and weeds, is almost like looking for a needle in a haystack!

Ed spent several days looking for the knife, without any luck. I didn’t witness this, but I’m told he even used a magnet on a string during his search! (I’m sorry I missed that!) Again, no luck.

Just when I thought Ed had given up on looking for his lost knife…he mentioned buying a metal detector! Now, Ed is frugal with his money, and the thought that he was willing to purchase a metal detector, just to find a knife, told me how obsessed he really was. I may have mentioned to him that a new knife would be cheaper!

On Monday, Ed burst through the door, all excited! He’d been able to borrow a metal detector from a co-worker! Unfortunately, I was in the middle of cooking supper, and had to miss out on the entire search. I looked outside once, just in time to see Ed heading to the garden, with the metal detector in hand! At one point, Ed even had our daughter out there using the detector! After nearly two hours of searching, no luck! I’m thinking that Ed may not have lost the knife in the field, after all…

Ed returned the metal detector, and the whereabouts of his missing knife remain unknown. Now I’m just trying to decide–should I buy Ed a metal detector–or a new pocket knife for Valentine’s Day???

We’re halfway through another week, which means it’s time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Joyce, our hostess, has graciously supplied us with another great set of questions, so let’s get down to business, shall we?

1. The popular saying, ‘All is fair in love and war’ is originally credited to English writer John Lyly. Is he right?

In my opinion, no, but I won’t elaborate on it today.

2. Are you a cereal eater? What’s your favorite kind?

Well, I used to be a cereal eater…before my new healthier way of eating. My favorites were Cocoa Krispies, Golden Grahams, Trix, and Honey Nut Cheerios. Unfortunately, all of my favorites have too much sugar, and that’s not even counting the milk. Cereal is one of the things I miss the most!

3. A five year old in Pennsylvania was recently given a ten day school suspension for talking with a friend about shooting one another with a Hello Kitty Bubble gun (the gun blows bubbles). She did not have the gun with her at school.

A psychological evaluation was also ordered and the incident was recorded on her permanent record. The suspension was later reduced to two days and her parents are suing to have the incident removed from her file. Your thoughts? (If you missed the story click here for details).

Good grief! In my opinion, the school over reacted–big time! I don’t blame the child’s parents for being upset. I would be, too! I hope the parents are successful in getting the incident removed from her file.

4. Whatever happened to… being able to eat whatever I want to?

5. January 23rd is National Handwriting Day, billed as a day to reacquaint yourself with a pen and pencil. Do you like your handwriting? Do you prefer to print or write in cursive? This date was chosen because its the birth date of John Hancock. What’s the last thing you signed your name to?

I used to hate my handwriting, but I’ve come to terms with it over the years. I prefer to write in cursive because my cursive writing is a lot neater than my printing. The last thing I signed was a personal check on Friday.

6. Speaking of John Hancock…ever been to Philadelphia? Do you have any desire to visit the city of Brotherly Love?

I’ve never been to Philadelphia, but I wouldn’t mind visiting– except for the traveling part. I hate traveling.

7. Share something funny you’ve heard a child say.

Like most small children, our granddaughter, Madison, has her own version of the pronunciation of some words. A recent one that comes to mind is “Bethlehem”. Madison calls it “Beckelhem”. My daughter was shrewd enough to capture a moment.

Random:

At some point, I’ll be writing a post about my journey of trying to get rid of candida (chronic yeast), but for now I’ll post a quick update. I’ve been virtually “sugar and carbohydrate free” for five weeks–this includes no artificial sweeteners, as well as a boat-load of other restrictions. The only thing I’ve had to drink in five weeks is water–lots and lots of water. Unfortunately, after four weeks of strict dieting and taking two antifungals, the candida was still with me!

In the meantime, I’d been researching alternative treatment methods, and found a supplemental program called “Threelac”. I decided to give it a try. I ordered the products from a health food store through Amazon, and had them shipped overnight because I was getting desperate!

I’ve been on the Threelac program for 12 days and have already seen lots of improvement! I’m hopeful that Threelac will be my “silver bullet”. I’m not out of the woods yet, but I’m the closest I’ve been in seven long months. I’ve decided to post-pone that referral to the infectious disease doctor. I’m praying I won’t need it!

I have several ideas for posts swirling around in my head, but I can’t proceed without revisiting a topic that came up recently–old typewriters.

In yesterday’s “About Me Quiz” I asked the question, “Have you ever typed on a manual (non-electric) typewriter?” I don’t know where I got the idea for this question, but I sure enjoyed some of the comments I received!

One of my favorite replies was from jose2shoes : Typing class back in the dinosaur days was all on manual typewriters and that’s how I learned. Then came electric IBM typewriters and we really thought we were in Heaven. Now it’s hard to type a sentence without spelling errors, we’ve become so spoiled by our ability to spell check and correct on-screen! Makes life a lot simpler in the office though. I remember typing long legal documents in the old days that couldn’t have any errors and had carbon copies… ugh!!

Jose2shoes’ comment brought back a few typing memories of my own:

My earliest memory of a typewriter is from somewhere in mid-childhood. Someone, I believe it was my brother’s wife, had a manual typewriter, but the keys on it were covered. I remember trying to type on the machine, and being both fascinated and frustrated by it. I couldn’t understand why anyone would have the keys to their typewriter covered up! (I learned it was a “requirement”.)

Fast forward a few years, to 1970. By then, I was taking Typing 1 in high school. Electric typewriters had made their appearance, and typing was a lot easier. I could never burn up the keys like some of the girls in my class, but I took great pride in making very few errors! (I guess my strive for perfection was manifesting itself even back then.) I always looked forward to typing class very much, unlike most of my other classes!

Here’s the one and only photo I have of me, along with two of my girlfriends, during our Typing 2 class. I’m the one in the middle, posing for the photo.

As I look at this photo, I remember several things- (1) Holly, the girl to my far left, was a fast typist! She and I share the same birthday, and became friends in elementary school. (2) Linda, the girl on my right, lived down the street from me, while we were growing up, and caught my bouquet when Ed and I got married. (3) Notice how the windows are open in the photo? That’s because the schools weren’t air conditioned back then!

Now back to my story-

While some fortunate people owned their own portable typewriters, back then, I was not one of the lucky ones. I remember having to find someone to loan me a typewriter to type my English IV term paper on. I sat at mama’s dining room table and typed every miserable page of that paper. I also remember using “correct type” to fix my mistakes! Believe it or not, I still remember the topic of my term paper, a subject near and dear to my heart, at the time–“An All Volunteer Army, Will It Work?”. (The draft was still in effect at the time.)

My typing skills, learned during high school, finally helped me earn an income in the mid-seventies. I got a job working as a “file clerk/receptionist” in the radiology department of a large hospital. By then, I had been married to Ed for a couple of years. He’d been working in radiology (in the same hospital), as a technologist, for those two years. We actually rode to work together, and were able to eat lunch together on most days.

I spent the next three years typing “flash cards” (used to put the patients name and information on the corner of their x-ray films), then typing and filing index cards, with a record of each patient’s exams listed on them. By the time I left, we were moving into the age using computers instead of typewriters and filing cabinets.

Back in the seventies, I never dreamed that one day I’d be sitting on the couch typing for something called “a blog” on a machine known as “a laptop”. I never dreamed of “spell check” or “cut and paste”–and certainly not the internet! I can’t help but wonder how things will be when our children are my age! I guess only time will tell…and I’ll most likely never know.

Do you have any memories of manual typewriters–or even the first electric ones? If so, please share!

It’s a new week, and that means it’s time to link up with Heather for The Monday Quiz. Here are this week’s questions:

1. What was your favorite lunch this past week?

Ed grilled hamburgers for lunch on Sunday. The burgers were very good, but having our son, Brad, eat lunch with us helped make our meal special, and also made it my favorite lunch of the week!2. Do you shop online?

Yes, I shop online all of the time.3. Do you get the “Winter Blues”?

Yes, I tend to get the “Winter Blues” every year during the month of January.

4. Slippers, Socks, Shoes or Bare Feet?

Socks in winter, bare feet in summer!

My question for you:

5. Have you ever typed on a manual (non-electric) typewriter?

(Yes, over 40 years ago!)

Weekend Recap:

Our weekend got off to a roaring start when two of our three grown children and their families came over on Friday evening. It had been three weeks since I’d seen one of our grandchildren, Chase, or his mom. (sickness hit their home shortly after Christmas) Chase turned one-year-old, two days after Christmas, and began walking about the same time. I hadn’t seen Chase since he’d learned to get around on his feet, so Friday night was a real treat. It was nice having almost everyone under our roof again. We were only missing Brad and Jennifer, who now live about an hour away.

Our weather was sunny and mild, once again, and we tried to spend as much time as possible outside on Saturday and Sunday. Once again, Ed took care of a few outside chores, while I sat and enjoyed some time in the sunshine–a great cure for those “Winter Blues”. We also managed to incorporate a little shopping into the weekend because I enjoy using my $5.00 off coupons on Saturdays, and I had four of them.

Our internet wasn’t working on Saturday morning, and it didn’t come back on as the day progressed. We called the phone company, and were told it would be Monday–or possibly Tuesday– before they could get a repairman to come out. In the meantime, Brett, our oldest son, looked at our modem and discovered that it wasn’t working anymore. Some hours later, I remembered that our son, Brad, had left a spare modem behind when he and Jennifer moved.

On Sunday morning, we called Brad and asked him about using his old modem. We got the modem hooked up, but couldn’t figure out to get it working because it kept asking for Brad’s password. Fortunately, Brad showed up for a visit, about lunchtime, and saved the day for us. Within thirty minutes we were up and running again! Yay! It’s amazing how much we’ve come to rely on the internet–and our children! Oh the joys of growing old…

Jennifer was working a twelve-hour shift, so Brad spent the rest of the day and evening with us, watching the football play-off games. Since we are from Georgia, we were sad to see the Falcons lose 😦 but we had a nice visit anyway! I guess you win some, and you lose some–but the weekend ended up being a winner in my book!

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen.

Let me begin by saying, I really enjoyed reading the comments on this page.( It’s the Lake Superior University link concerning these words/phrases.) Some of the comments were downright funny! That being said, I’d most like to banish the words “fiscal cliff” because I’m sick of hearing the them. I hate being reminded of the sad state of financial affairs of our country–and the fact that the majority of our leaders in Washington can’t seem to figure out the most obvious answer–cut spending!

2. When was the last time you rode a train? Where did you go?

The last time I rode a train was at the Jacksonville Zoo, about five years ago. I rode around the park. I’ve never been on a train for traveling, except for the MARTA in Atlanta.

3. Bagels-yay or nay? Favorite ‘flavor’? Favorite topping?

Yes, I like bagels. We used to eat plain ones with butter and jelly. I don’t much care for toppings. My favorite bagel flavors are the chocolate chip or the sticky cinnamon ones from Panera Bread.

4. ‘Tis the season of awards shows…if you could star in a movie already made which one would you choose?

One of my all-time favorites–Steel Magnolias. I think I could play Sally Field’s part (the mother). I see a lot of myself in her character (and some of Ed in her husband–remember the bird shooting scene?).

5. The move towards single gender classrooms has been making the news in recent months….what say you? Do you think kids perform better if separated by gender and are taught differently or is that discrimination? If you’re a parent, is this something you’d support in regard to your own children?

Oh, mercy! It’s always something. The government can never be satisfied can they? I believe the classes should continue to be mixed. I’ve always thought of school as a form of “preparation for life”, and in life, we all have to adapt and get along. There is no perfect solution. It’s been my experience, that the best classes have an even mix or slightly higher ratio of girls than boys though. ( I sure wouldn’t want to be the teacher stuck in a classroom filled with only boys!)

6. What’s your favorite thing about staying in a hotel?

Not having to worry about cooking or cleaning.

7. Do you have a ‘word’ for 2013? What’s the story behind your choice?

I don’t have a word for 2013, but if I did, it would be “faith”. The handwriting is already on the wall, and I’m afraid we will soon be entering “the times which try men’s souls”. I’m counting on my faith (in God) to get me through whatever lies ahead.

Random:

Best Buddies ~ Alex and my granddaughter, Madison, at Christmas

Little Alex, the toddler whom my daughter keeps, will be having his second cochlear implant done tomorrow. He’s done so well with the first one, I pray the second one is successful, too. These days, Alex is a very active little boy, who now looks at people when they call his name. What a joy! Every laugh and squeal is a delight to hear, and I can’t wait until he says his first word!

Also, I can’t let this opportunity pass without wishing my one and only big brother, David, “a very happy birthday”! I love you, and hope you go out and make it a great day! Here’s a pic from the past… Oh those were the days, weren’t they?!

You may recall that our youngest son, Brad, and is wife, Jennifer, flew the family coop back in November. They decided to try living in the city, so they bought a home about an hour away from the family farm. The weekend before Christmas, the couple invited our family over for lunch on Sunday.

Brad and Jennifer still have several boxes of stuff remaining at Ed’s mom’s house, so Ed and I offered to bring a carload to them on our visit. Since my car is small, we decided to load Ed’s mom’s car and drive it.

In the meantime, our son-in-law, Clint, woke up not feeling well, and wasn’t able to make the trip. Our daughter and granddaughter asked if they could ride with us. So, Ed went to his mom’s, and unloaded enough stuff out of his mom’s car to make room for two more people…

When Ed returned to our house, from his mom’s house, her car was making an awful noise. Apparently, the pulley that works the air conditioner was squealing. I quickly told Ed, “I’m not going anywhere in that car!” So poor Ed, took his mom’s car back to her house, still loaded with Brad and Jennifer’s stuff (but not as much as before, since he’d just unloaded half of it!)

Finally, the four of us loaded up in my small car, bound for Brad and Jennifer’s house…About the time we started to leave the yard, our daughter noticed she had stepped in dog poop! She quickly got out and changed shoes, while Ed washed off the floor mat. We made one more quick stop to Ed’s mom’s again– to pack what we could in the back of my car–which wasn’t much! While trying to load my car, our daughter noticed that she had dog poop on the leg of her jeans…so back home we went, so she could change clothes!

An hour later, after crossing at least one river, and riding through some woods, we arrived in the city. We drove up to Brad’s house about 10:30. Apparently, Jennifer wasn’t expecting us quite so early, and we found her in a nightshirt, with a towel on her head. She was mortified. I laughed and told her we were “just people”.

Jennifer had worked the day before, until sometime in the night. Then, after getting home, she baked until midnight. She’d gotten up early on Sunday, and made two pans of lasagna for lunch. In other words, she’d gone to a lot of trouble for us.

About the time we arrived earlier than expected, Jennifer’s phone buzzed with a text, saying our oldest son and his family wouldn’t be able to attend lunch. I felt really bad for Jennifer. After working so hard, one-half of her guests didn’t come, while the other one-half arrived early. (And did I mention that I had to bring my own lunch because I was on a yeast eradication diet???) I reassured Jennifer, that she could freeze the extra lasagna for later. Meanwhile, Brad quickly shuffled all of us off to Wal-mart down the street, while Jennifer got dressed and finished up lunch.

Lunch looked delicious. I ate some salad, along with the tuna I’d brought from home. I tasted a bite of Jennifer’s lasagna, and a crumb of one of the cookies she’d baked. My mouth ran water as I looked at the loaf of Italian bread and the pecan pie, but I didn’t give in, as I was desperate to rid myself of the yeast that had invaded my body.

Following lunch, Brad and Jennifer gave us a tour around their huge subdivision. Granddaughter, Madison, enjoyed trying out the playground, and the pool would have been very inviting if it hadn’t been winter. There’s also a nice gym, so there’s no excuse for being out of shape! It felt a bit like a vacation resort. We joked with Brad and Jennifer that perhaps we could switch homes for vacation!

All too soon, the afternoon had passed, and it was time to return home. Sadly, we bid Brad and Jennifer farewell, and headed back home. It reminded me so much of times past, when Ed and I were the ones living in the city. We were always so happy to have our families visit, but it was sad when they had to leave. I never once thought about how our parents might be feeling. Now I know, they were sad, too…

It’s been a few days since I’ve been on-line. I’ve been spending some time catching up on a few things around the house because I’m more than a little behind on housework! My energy level has been sorely lacking since I deleted sugar and carbohydrates from my diet. I feel like a car running on empty! I’m giving myself permission to take more blogging breaks in 2013, so forgive me if I disappear from time to time. There are times when blogging feels more like a job than a hobby. Every time I get to that point, I’m taking a break!

This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous, so Ed and I spent all day Saturday outside. Our temps reached near eighty degrees, and I actually opened up the windows and let the fresh breeze blow all through the house! We raked some leaves and burned them, too. I wish we had more days like this weekend… Soon “old man winter” will be showing himself again, and we’ll be housebound. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the final few days of our spring-like weather!

I’m behind on blogging about what’s been happening around here, but I’ll eventually get caught up. Today, I’m going to participate in Heather’s Monday meme. I always enjoy her meme! Here are today’s questions:

1. What is your favorite animal?

Well, if you know me, then you know this question is a “no brainer”. Cats, of course! I’ve owned cats for as long as I can remember. I currently have about a dozen outside cats. ( At one point, we had twenty-one!) No, I’m not a crazy cat lady, I just have a big, soft heart when it comes to animals–especially cats. I rescued most of our cats from the local animal shelter. We live in a secluded area, out in the country, so it’s a good place for cats. There’s Drake, Big Red, Fat Susan, Mr. Bigelsworth, Charlie, MAC, Kitty Bee, Sara Callie Girl, Hootie, Kyle, Smut, Suzie, and Bobs. Wow, that’s thirteen, not twelve! No problems with mice here–and all of my kitties have been spayed or neutered.
2. What is your favorite quote?

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” Philippians 4:13 (This verse has gotten me though some tough times in my life, and will continue to do so.)

3. What is the one trait that you have that definitely comes from one of your parents?

My teeth! They look exactly like my daddy’s, and have a mind all their own.

4. If you had a choice between going to a tropical island or a ski resort which would you choose and why?

This is another “no brainer” question for me. I’d go to a tropical island any day, ’cause I love the beach! Place me in a lawn chair, in the sand, beside the surf, and I’m one happy lady! This warm, sunny weather makes me long for the beach…

5. What’s the weather like where you live?

*As I was getting ready to wrap up this post last night(about 9 o’clock), the phone rang. Our son, Brad, was on the other end of the line. He asked for Ed, so I was pretty sure something was wrong. I was right. It turned out that Brad and Jennifer had become stranded in a little town about 30 miles away. They’d been to Atlanta (to see the Falcons play-off game). They were returning home when Brad ran over an old piece of truck tire in the road, puncturing the oil pan of his car.

Ed and I hopped in the car and drove to where Brad and Jennifer were. We brought them to our house, visiting with them during the ride. An hour later the couple left, headed for their home, and driving Ed’s mom’s car. It was great to see them, even under those terrible circumstances. Ed’s mom’s car has finicky headlights–sometimes the lights will go off without warning. I hope there were no mishaps in the next couple of days…